Another blow to Bill’s bungled sell-off

Habitat for Humanity pulling out of the Government's state house tendering process is another blow to the Government's sell-off policy, Labour's Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says.

“Habitat is one of the most respected housing groups. For them to withdraw from this process – following in the footsteps of the Salvation Army and the Methodist Mission – is another nail in the coffin of Bill English's ideological experiment with state housing.

“The sale of state houses was originally pitched by the Government as a way to build up the local community housing sector. It has become increasingly clear it is just an old fashioned sell-off, with NGOs being used as convenient political cover.

“These organisations have been led on a wild goose chase. Instead of being at the front of the queue, the Government has been courting Australian companies, merchant bankers and property developers.

“The Government has made it clear it wants to sell-off state houses in job lots of several hundred, which would force most NGOs into mega-deals with banks and property developers; and few of them want to do that.

“Instead of talking with the community housing providers about how they can build their operations and how they can improve housing outcomes for the community, the Government is hell bent on flogging off billions of dollars of land and housing by hook or by crook,” Phil Twyford says.